Joe Schiefman and I went up to Tuolumne Meadows last weekend.  We spent
Saturday climbing crack, Joe's forte.  I started by trying to
lead Black Angel (11a) again; I almost got it last year but ended up
taking a big whipper from the last move.  This year's attempt
demonstrated again that successfully climbing strenuous liebacks
is a strongly non-linear function of fitness and confidence.  
I fell on the boulder problem start a few times, but good stopper
pro kept me off the deck each time.  I then got the move, but 
blew the next lieback section and narrowly escaped decking from
20' up when 2 cams of a 2.5 friend held (a marginal TCU had blown).
I wasn't feeling self-destructive enough for another lead attempt,
so I hiked around and rigged the TR.  Joe got it with a few hangs
and I did it without falling.  I've now logged more flight time
on this route than any other - maybe I'll wait a while before 
attempting another lead.  Low Profile Dome gets early afternoon, so
Joe took another crack at Memo from Lloyd (10d++), getting about as far
as he did last time, one move from easier ground.  I tied in for
a TR attempt, but couldn't even get started.  I finished the
day by trying to TR Do or Fly (11c).  This is a nice climb - I
got the crux roof after one fall and hang - this one's going to go.

Sunday.  Thing have sure changed at E. Cottage dome since my last
visit (7/89).  The number of routes on this 80 degree knobby face
has doubled, and the new routes have good 3/8" bolt pro (Bosched
on lead).  I led Ballroom Dancing (10b) (Joe, Nancy, and Clint followed)
and Knob-noxious(?) (10d) (J and N followed).  Thunder and a light
rain aborted my plans to do Knob-vious (10d).  Next time.  The
scene was very 90's as 3 girls, Jo Croft (Peter Croft's wife), Tom
Herbert's girlfriend, and one other, burned everyone off by flashing
the hardest routes.  I had always wondered what the "hardwomen"
talk about when they climb - cute guys, losing weight, ok, but
when the conversation turned to what (if anything) to wear under
their lycra, I really didn't want to know (but listened anyway).
Now I know how the girls feel during the usual gnarley scatalogical,
guy-climber bull sessions.  It sprinkled off and on (mostly off, actually)
during the afternoon, but we never got it together and left around
6.

Joel